


Dragons Heart

by Markuse88



Series: Markuse88 Inktober 2019 [21]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Caring Danny "Danno" Williams, Danny "Danno" Williams Has A Big Dick, Dragon!Danny, Dragons, Hurt Steve McGarrett, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Protective Danny "Danno" Williams, Vengful!Danny, Wrathful!Danny, but it's implied, it's not used
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29197794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Markuse88/pseuds/Markuse88
Summary: There are few things more foolish than stealing from a Dragon's hoard. This is the tale of one of those events. Read and find out what happens when you steal something from a dragon more precious than gold or gems.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Markuse88 Inktober 2019 [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1501292
Comments: 9
Kudos: 77





	Dragons Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Ok So here it is. SUPER LATE, but Inktober 2019 #21 - Treasure. As usual, this is self-edited so all mistakes are mine. Beta-read for content by the illustrious CowandCalf. I have adored working on this story and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts. 
> 
> As usual, I welcome any advice on tags lol.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE!! I have fixed the [brackets] vs Italics problem. Sorry again for the confusion.

Victor threw an injured archer out of his way as he rushed up the steps to the fortress tower. Reaching the doors he pushed aside a pair of slaves and rushed inside.

“Bar the doors,” He ordered the guards inside, “Bar and seal the damn doors!”

“But sir,” One of the guards stepped forward, “We have men and slaves outside. We can’t leave them to the beast.” Quick as a flash, Victor pulled his sword and separated the guard's head from his neck.

“I said bar and seal the doors,” Victor ordered coldly as the decapitated corpse fell to the floor, the head rolling away, “And find my brother.”

The remaining guards hastened to close the door, pushing away injured slaves, guards, and mercenaries that were tumbling over themselves to try and enter. Once they were closed and barred one of the black-robed mages hurried forward and, with a whispered incantation and burst of purple light, cast a large sealing sigil on the doors.

Victor, now ignoring the guards and mages that milled around listening to the shouts and screams beyond the sealed doors, moved about the hall and gathered up everything of value that he could lay his hands on. Everything went into the enchanted satchel he carried. He and Anton each carried one. They would be able to take most of their treasury with them.

Victor had just reached for a sack of jewels when an incredibly loud boom rent the air and the tower rocked. Large stones fell from above as the floor of the level above them crumbled. Victor dove under a table as the large stones rained down, trapping or crushing those too stupid to get out of the way. Victor chanced a look as a shadow passed through the sudden streams of dusty sunlight streaming into the room. Looking up he saw that the upper portion of the tower was wrecked and burning.

Victor's blood ran cold, fearing his brother had been on the upper floors. Before his mind could wander too much his attention was drawn to the doors at the far end of the hall. The intricate purple sigil that lay over the wood and steel was beginning to glow red at the edges and warp out of shape. Victor had no magic of his own but he was learned enough to know that the sigil was failing.

“The _doors_ ,” he shouted over the din of falling stone, groans, and cries of pain, “Seal the bloody doors.”

Victor watched from his cowering as the mage that had cast the Seal pulled themselves from a pile of rubble and hobbled to the doors. The mage rose his bloodied, broken, and twisted hands toward the sigil. Though he couldn’t hear the mages' words Victor knew from the renewed purple glow that he was reinforcing the sigil.

With the Seal once more stable and debris from above no longer falling Victor felt safe enough to leave his cover. Looking around he saw most of his guards and mages were partially or wholly trapped under the wreckage from the tower above. Those that were free and, mostly, undamaged were staggering around and appeared to be trying to get their bearings.

“Why hasn’t one of you worthless bastards found my brother!?” Victor demanded coldly.

Before anyone could answer two things occurred in the same instance. The first was the sigil on the doors suddenly glowing a bright and fiery red before shattering in a shower of sparks. The Mage that had been actively feeding it screamed in agony as the rebounding magic struck him, setting him alight and throwing him across the room.

The second was his brother forcing open a door that led to the lower bowels of the fortress. Victor locked eyes with his brother just as the doors burst open, revealing a massive, golden, and _furious_ dragon.

“Anton run!” Victor bellowed.

***

Danny circled high above the human _fortress_ , outside the range of their defenses. He was angry, _furious_ but not stupid. He did not live to be a great wyrm by being foolish. Weeks of hunting, tracking, stealth, and guile had gone into this moment. He would not waste the opportunity to reclaim what was his. So he waited, riding the currents on his great wings, ever watchful until the puny little humans below took notice of him. When the shouts and shrieks finally reached him, followed by the milling humans below bursting into chaotic activity, he dove.

Opening his maw he summoned fire from his core and let loose great torrents over the top of the tower and along its boundary walls. Savoring the coppery spice and scorching heat as it flowed over his tongue Danny made several passes, laying flame to everything in his path.

Pings of sound and dull pricks of sensation across his body and wings made amusement bubble up in his chest as the humans pointlessly fired arrows at him. They bounced lamely off his body, often shattering from the force of the impact, and rained to the ground below. Cries of dismay reached him but still, the arrows pelted him and Danny reared back into the sky, roars of laughter and flame leaving his throat, filling the air at the uselessness of the humans’ defenses.

Danny soared back into the air, outside of archer range, and the scent of relief, mixed with blood and terror, reached his nose. He circled for a moment, letting the defenders think they had routed him, before he dove again. He spat more orbs of flame indiscriminately, shattering the wood and stone boundary walls and setting alight mercenaries and guards that stunk of both fear and vile. He felt a slight pang of guilt as the largely innocent slaves and servants were caught in the crossfire. He assuaged himself by knowing his fire would not harm them.

_‘Flee mortals, flee or burn!’_ Danny projected the words toward the mortals whose light was not tarnished with murder or vile. He hoped they would obey but he would not cease his attack simply for them. He had come for a purpose, to take back what was his and punish those who had stolen from him and sought his ruin.

Dark robed figures began to pour from the tower and, through the cacophony of shouts, shrieks, and the roar of fire, he began to discern the whispers of words laced with power.

‘ _Mages, bah!’_ Danny thought uproariously. _Mortal_ _Mages_ against him. Giving momentarily to hubris Danny descended low and, with flaps of his great wings, let himself hover before the mages. Rearing back he exposed his underbelly as the mages cast their spells. Even the most powerful, an orb of black energy filled with a curse of death, bounced harmlessly off his hide just as the arrows had before. The acrid scent of panic rose from the mages as their magic was rebuffed. Before they could martial another defense Danny twisted, slamming his tail into the huddled group and sending them flying.

With the mages dispatched he made to land but before he could shafts of wood zipped by him. One, a metal-tipped spear, glanced off the joint of his wing. It caused no damage and was no more painful than a mosquito bite would be to a human but it still infuriated him. With a few beats of his wings, Danny rose and launched himself _through_ the upper portion of the tower.

Danny felt grim satisfaction as the weathered stone rained down. He didn’t even care as great chunks cascaded off his own body.

Chaos reigned as Danny landed, his powerful body shaking the earth as he touched down. Head held high and wings tucked Danny walked unchallenged to the doors of the tower. Servants, slaves, and guards alike leaped from his path. He knew they understood now, that nothing they did could harm him. His power was too great. His light too powerful. A few of the guards and mercenaries even tossed aside their weapons and fell to the ground, arms cradled around their heads in cowardice as he passed.

Danny paid them no heed. They were nothing to him now. Motes of dust unworthy of his acknowledgment now that they no longer interfered in his goal. Reaching the doors of the tower Danny reared back on his hind legs and set his weight upon them, intent on forcing them open, but found that they held firm. The buzz under his black taloned forelegs spoke of a powerful sealing spell. Obviously, his prey had not sent his best mages to face him.

Knowing he must meet magic with magic Danny retreated several feet from the door. With a deep breath, he expanded his chest and let loose great tongues of flame. Unlike the burning, violent red of the flame he had used to set alight the fortress; flames that tasted of molten copper and smelled of brimstone, this fire was pure gold shot through with blue. Its flavor was clear and clean, nearly tasteless, and burned with the scent of a lightning strike. They were Flames of Magic. Of Power. Not of Destruction as the red had been. He could feel the clash of magics reverberate through his body as the flames licked at the door, burning away at the magic that had been cast to prevent his entry.

Feeling the sealing magic beginning to ebb Danny lessened his output to not handicap himself. He did not know what awaited him within the fortress and, despite his power, he knew it was better to err on the side of caution. Just as he felt the magical fortification begin to melt away though it suddenly grew in strength. The quality of the magic had changed as well. No longer was it simply a ward placed to protect. Now it was magic that thrummed with the energy and intensity of live casting.

A mage had linked their life-energy to the spell work to keep it powered. Bitterness and anger rolled in his gut as he snapped his jaws closed, cutting off the flame. Despite knowing that the mage on the other side of the door was gravely injured, the life-energy sustaining the warding carried with it the tell-tale taste of creeping decay, he knew what he had to do. It comforted him a little to know that he was likely putting the mage out of their misery.

With a deep breath, he once more opened his great mouth and let loose the magical blue-gold flames. This time though he did not simply attack the shield, instead he focused his mind on the thread of life-energy he could feel beyond. In a heartbeat, the thread caught flame and Danny felt it as both the mage's life and the seal against him were extinguished. In the same instant Danny charged and threw open the doors with a deafening roar.

***

Victor watched in horrified fascination as, between blinks, the dragon transformed. Where before had stood a hulking gold and blue dragon now stood what He could only describe as some sort of human-dragon hybrid. A _monstrosity_. The creature was formed like a man with golden skin and blue scales. It walked on dragons’ feet with a long tail that scraped the floor as it strode confidently into his fortress. Its wings were tucked against its back and studded with horns the same shade of black as those that sprouted from its forehead and curled back over, incongruously, dirty blond hair.

“What are you waiting for,” Victor barked out to the few guards still scattered around, “Kill the demon.” Victor drew his own sword and lunged toward his brother. Before he could make it more than a few paces he found his way blocked by the creature. The monster's chest glowed a vicious red and its throat bulged before it opened its mouth and spat an orb of fire at him. The orb collided with his chest and sent him crashing backward. His head smacked the wall and the world went out of focus for a few moments. When he could finally make sense of up and down, left and right, he turned his eyes on the creature.

In horror he realized the creature was holding his brother with its tail wrapped around his throat, feet dangling off the floor. His brother and the creature exchanged words he couldn’t understand over the rushing in his ears as Anton tried to wrench the appendage from around his throat.

A crack rent the air before the creature released his brother, who crumbled lifelessly at the abominations' feet.

“BASTARD!” Victor screamed, pushing himself shakily to his feet to dive drunkenly toward the monster.

***

“Flee like the cowards you are or die by my flames. The choice is yours.” Danny announced once he had, for the moment, dealt with the leader. He was still alive. He would need him later. Danny looked around at the assembled men, many of them still held their weapons and, despite the reek of fear wafting off them, appeared to be considering attacking. Danny smiled, showing off his razor-sharp teeth, and felt his chest glow as fire climbed into his throat. As the flames began to lick at the corners of his mouth they, one after another, dropped their weapons and ran.

Danny turned to watch their progress, ensuring none of them became brave behind his back, and a familiar scent caught his nose. He lashed out with his tail, knocking the slight, dark-haired man to the ground before wrapping his tail around his throat and hoisting him into the air.

The man was dressed in expensive garb, the style marking him as a mage, but Danny was not interested in his clothing. Bringing the man closer he flicked his forked tongue into the air, tasting not only the man’s scent but the energy of his aura as well.

“I know your taste mongrel,” Danny growled into the man’s face, letting his fire lick at his tongue as he spoke. Both to inspire fear and burn away the vile taste of polluted light, “You were one of the men that defiled my den. You laid the magical traps that brought it down on my head. _You_ not only stole from me but tried to kill me.”

“F…free me and I’ll finish the job you _devil_!” The man gasped out, hands glowing with weak magic as he tried to pry Danny’s tail from around his throat.

Danny merely squeezed tighter, enough to make him pale without killing him.

“ _I_ am the devil? _I_ , who have done nothing to innocent souls? _I_ , who spared even the lives of _most_ of your guards, mercenaries, and slaves?” Danny growled indignantly.

“No…no _dragon_ is innocent. You…Your kind loot and pillage and murder the same as men!” The man was still trying to pry at Danny’s tail, hands now hot and slick with ineffectual magic against his golden skin.

“You _dare_ to compare yourself to my kind, to _me_ ,” Danny spat waspishly as offense stiffened his spine, “You, whose light rots with rape, abuse, murder, death, and vile of a thousand kinds.” Danny roared as he pulled the man down to meet his gaze head-on.

“I kill for food human, for survival and defense. Or when my home is violated. Can you say the same?” Danny growled, smoke creeping from the corners of his mouth, “As to my hoard, a _fraction_ of it came from tyrants and warlords, who like you, abused and subjugated the weak. I took it as reward for removing them from existence. The rest came to me without violence and bloodshed or was found and forged by my own hands.

“You and your brother yonder steal and kill for your wealth. Taking and taking and taking with never a thought for the lives you destroy in pursuit of your riches and power. But this time you chose the wrong target and took far, _far_ more than you should have. And now I will have my recompense.”

The man, Anton he heard him called, became paler as he spoke, his magic blinking out as it lost the pointless battle to free him.

“Mercy…please mercy. I’ll never…never again.” He rasped out and Danny’s lip curled as he smelt the lie in his words, saw it take shape in his aura.

“I grant one mercy to _devils_ such as yourself,” Danny spoke before twitching his tail, snapping Anton’s neck before hope could bleed into his eyes, “A quick death.” He finished, uncoiling his tail from around the lifeless man and letting him fall to the floor.

“BASTARD!” The insult turned Danny’s head from the inspection of the body at his feet. He was surprised to find the leader of the now-defunct band of merry morons launching himself, unarmed, toward him. Danny didn’t bother to sidestep the man. Instead, he treated him the same as his brother, using his tail to slap him to the stone floor before hauling him up by his throat.

“You are the master of this place. The one I’ve been searching for. You have something that belongs to me, and I want it back.” Danny growled, pulling the man to face him.

“Take your filthy gold demon. I hope you choke on it. “The leader groaned, eyes distant as he hung limply in Danny’s grip.

“No fire left in you human?” Danny asked, focusing his eyes on the man’s light. It was every bit as polluted as his brother but as he was watched a hollow gray began to creep into it and, for a moment, Danny felt pity. It was quick to dissipate though when he caught a familiar scent that clung to the man’s skin.

“You killed what was most precious to me…kill me and take your damn gold. A pox on you and all your kind." The leader tore the satchel he wore off and threw it at Danny’s feet before closing his eyes.

“You misunderstand me, human,” Danny growled, blowing smoke into the man’s face, “I don’t give a damn about the gold and the gems. You’ve taken that which is far more precious to me. My treasure.” As he spoke Danny saw realization dawn slowly on the leader's face.

“Your precious _treasure_ is hidden, monster,” The leader spoke with a cruel smile, “You’ll never find it. Do your worst. I’ll never tell you.”

Danny just laughed and dropped the man to the floor.

“I won’t need my worst.”

~~~

Danny folded his wings more tightly as he moved through the underground hall. The leader, Victor as Danny discovered, hadn’t lasted long during their _conversation_ and had told Danny where to find his treasure. Danny had known, of course, that his beloved treasure was nearby. He could feel it in the beating of his heart. The same feeling that had led him across miles to the fortress. But had not relished the task of tearing it apart, stone by stone, to find. No, Victor’s admission was very helpful.

“Halt, demon, unless you wish to taste steal.” Danny halted in surprise. He had been so engrossed in following the strengthened tug in his chest that he hadn’t noticed the human guards blocking his path.

“I am _dragon_ , you morons, not a _demon_ ,” Danny huffed in annoyance. His patience was spent, “Now get out of my way.”

“Dragon or demon, it doesn’t matter, you go no further.” The guard that spoke before lunged at him suddenly, sword drawn.

Danny rolled his eyes and moved out of the guard’s path. As he leaped past Danny backhanded him against the back of his skull. The guard went ass over heels and landed in a heap. Danny wasn’t sure if he was still alive and, at the moment, didn’t really care.

“Flee or join him.” Danny spoke to the other guard, a younger man who held a spear pointed shakily in his direction. The guard didn’t reply, only dropped his weapon before turning and running further down the hall.

Danny once more huffed and set off, following not only Victor’s direction but the pull in his chest. He met no more guards, nor did he encounter any traps or spells, and within a few moments found himself outside a well-fortified wooden door. His vision went red and his chest glowed with suppressed fire as the scents of blood, tears, fear, and pain reached him. Heedless to any potential danger Danny gripped the door at its edges and ripped it from its frame before tossing it down the hall.

There, huddled in a dark corner of the filthy cell was his precious treasure.

“Steve.” Danny breathed out, anger melting away into relief tinged worry.

***

Steve sat curled in the corner, body aching and burning in the aftermath of beatings, torture, and sickness. Steve didn’t know how long he had been there. His cell was underground and unlit and he was only ever removed from it when his captors felt like hurting him. For that, he was never taken above ground.

Agony and shame warred in Steve’s body. He was a warrior. A knight. And yet he had been taken captive by barely trained mercenaries. Snatched, unarmed, from his home when he least expected it. The constant vigilance of his training wasted.

They had come upon him unawares and knocked him out as he walked the intricately carved stone halls of their home. He had either become lazier than he thought or they had some form of magic to muffle their footfalls and breathing as he had never heard them. He only had a bleary memory of looking up at a half dozen hooded figures, pain throbbing in the back of his skull before the world went dark.

When he came to he was trussed up good and well, lying on the hard ground, and his wake up had been a hard boot to the gut. Before he could do more than assess his condition, pain in the head, nausea, and light sensitivity, bound at the ankles, knees, and wrists, (with his arms behind his back), his head had been jerked back and his mouth forced open before being flooded with a bitter, near scalding liquid.

He’d thrashed, attempting to empty his mouth and throw off the hands holding him down but the binds thrummed with magic. Once they had forced his jaw closed and held his nose he had been forced to swallow. The effects were near-instant. His mind quickly became muddled and his body went lax. After that things had turned hazy again. He had vague recollections of being carried and carted around, often over someone’s shoulder or slung across a mule's back, or laying for what seemed like hours on the ground as the world moved around him. Steve knew he must have eaten and drank at some point but the elixir they continued to force down him muddled his memories.

Upon coming to the fortress the drugging had ceased but they quickly proved that they hadn’t needed the herbs to keep him in line. His first beating had been while the drugs were still in his system. He hadn’t felt much of the pain then, that had come after the drugs had worn off, and he had been too weak to fight it off.

Now though they kept him in line with starvation, only feeding him after a beating, and he knew now that the food was drugged as well. Despite it all, Steve tried. He tried to resist. To fight back. But they kept him weak, feeding him barely enough to his fill stomach, keeping him locked in a dank, filthy, and dark cell. Steve didn’t know what they wanted from him. They never questioned him or tried to get information out of him. Assaulting him just seemed a way for them to pass the time. At first, it had been a rotation of faceless men. But eventually, a single one took over, a thin man with dark hair and cold, cruel eyes. Steve had eventually realized that this man was the leader of the group. He thought he had once heard him called Victor.

Despite the shame that curled in his gut Steve took strength and comfort in his memories of Danny. He may not have known exactly how long they had been separated but he _knew_ Danny would come for him. He just had to hold on. He ate and drank to keep up his strength. He endured the torture with token protests, he had known men like this in his time as a knight, if they grew bored of him they would likely kill him. He would not die here, not by their hands, if he could help it. Danny would come for him or he would discover a way to free himself. Even through the haze of pain and the drugs laced in his food, he watched and taxed his mind, trying to find a weakness or a way out.

New worry had begun to creep up his spine though. A chill had taken over his bones even as his flesh burned and sweat-soaked his skin, making his filthy clothes stick to him. An infection had set in, likely from one of the whipping wounds on his back or cuts on his arms, his cell was too dark for him to inspect his own body and his captors had not come since he felt the first symptoms.

It was a double-edged sword. The time since his last session with Victor seemed longer than before, but he also had had no food or water. Hunger was beginning to gnaw at his gut as fever and sweat dried his mouth. He drifted in and out of consciousness as pain and fever wracked his body, sleeping fitfully only to awaken at sounds from the corridor beyond. Steve wondered, in his more lucid moments, if this was some new way of torturing him. If they wanted him to cry or beg for food or light. For contact. If they did then they would have to live without their satisfaction.

They could break and scar his body, muddle his mind, starve him. But he would not beg. He would die with that much dignity. Voices in the corridor drew Steve’s attention and he hated the way that his heart leaped a bit, he would not hope for scraps. Steve squeezed his eyes tight and turned his face into the corner, hard stone digging into his already abused face, as a strange feeling began to rise in his chest.

The feeling began to grow into a beating sort of warmth, as though a second, fiery heart rested in his chest. It waxed and waned in intensity that both rivaled and somehow eased his fever and pains. Steve focused on the feeling, it brought him a strange comfort, to the exclusion of the continued commotion in the corridor. The world beyond the door didn’t matter right now, all that mattered was to strange and small respite from his pain.

Steve let himself be drawn along by the feeling to a fitful drowsing. The warmth in his chest spiked, momentarily becoming a painful spike of heat, and Steve jolted from the shock. Before he could begin to make sense of what happened the room shook and was flooded with torchlight as the door was ripped away. In the weak light of the torches, Steve could discern a strangely shaped human figure.

“Steve.” The familiar rasp of Danny’s voice made both his heart beat faster and the warmth once more spike, this time filling his body with its intensity.

***

Danny pulled his wings in until they shrunk away completely before spitting small orbs of pale fire to float at the ceiling, enough to see the disgusting state of the cell his beloved was locked in, but not enough to blind the obviously injured man.

“D…Danny…is it…are you real?” Steve’s voice broke and his hand, bloody and filthy, shook as he reached out to him.

Heedless of the filth Danny dropped to his knees and brought Steve’s hand to his cheek, noting at he did that Steve’s free arm was curled around his gut.

“Of course I’m real my dear.” Danny replied, reaching out to smooth Steve’s dirty hair away from his battered face. Close up Danny could see the incalculable injuries that littered his lover's face, arms, and body through his ripped and ragged clothing. He could also smell, under the reek of sweat, blood, and pain, the festering stench of sickness, infection.

Danny let out an involuntary low whine of worry. If he could discern the smell of sickness under terror and injury he knew it must be widespread.

“We…we have to get out of here Danny. This place…this place is filled with evil.” Steve’s slurred words snapped Danny from his thoughts and he focused on Steve’s face. Danny could see now that Steve was fever pale under his bruises and his eyes glittered with heat-tears.

“There is no one left in this place that would threaten us, Steve. The leaders are dead and the rest have either fallen to my fire or fled,” Danny assured him, leaning forward to kiss Steve’s forehead, “But before we make our way home I must treat you. You’ve got an infection my treasure. Let me see how far it has spread before we move you.” Danny replied slowly, making sure Steve understood, and when he nodded in understanding Danny focused his power into his eyes and let himself look deep into Steve’s light.

Steve’s aura, once a brilliant red-gold that reminded Danny of the sun, shot through with ocean blue and forest green, was muddled, dingy, and black tinged to represent his injuries. Danny though looked deeper still, into the layer of light that mimicked internal structure. Danny gritted his teeth at what he found. Steve’s body crawled with a sickly, blighted green light that leeched closer and closer to his center, to his heart.

Danny feared moving him would put his lover into shock but was equally worried about the stress of healing him. Pulling his sight back until his eyes adjusted to the physical plain once more Danny looked at his haggard mate in worry and fear.

“The infection is widespread Steven, I fear to move you with it. I can heal it but the stress on your weakened body would likely be painful.” Danny confided and, after a moment Steve nodded.

“Pain and I are well acquainted Danny. Do what you must. I want to go home.” Steve replied and Danny nodded.

Lowering Steve’s hand from his cheek Danny ripped away the tattered sleeve and with his claw opened a cut across Steve’s wrist. Before it could bleed more than a few drops Danny sealed his mouth over it and breathed his healing fire into the wound.

Danny watched as a blue glow crept through Steve’s veins, glowing under his skin, as the fire burned through the infection. As it reached his shoulder and began to spread up his neck and down his chest Steve began to whine and wriggle, as though trying to get away from the sensation. With his free hand, Danny reached out and stroked Steve’s face and neck, hoping the touch would comfort and calm.

Steve did calm some but continued to whine low and mumble under his breath as the healing glow traveled through his face, down his other arm, and through his chest, stomach and legs. The infection gone, and some of the more superficial wounds healed, Danny pulled away. The wound on Steve’s wrist healed before his eyes and Danny turned his eyes back to Steve’s light, double-checking the infection was indeed gone.

“It’s done love, can you stand, walk?” Danny asked once he was sure.

“I…I think…maybe. With some help?” Steve replied quietly, his voice a bit distant. Danny nodded and helped Steve to stand. One of Steve’s arms around his shoulders, the other still cradled around his waist, and one of Danny’s around his back they set off.

“My eyes…it burns.” Steve cried, eyes squeezed and face pressed against Danny’s hair, as they stepped into the dimly lit corridor. If the torches hurt him then the bright afternoon light would likely blind him.

“Wait here, love.” Danny told him, propping him against the wall, before shooting down the hall. The Guard that had lunged at him earlier still lay on the ground, unmoving and not breathing. He must have hit him harder than he thought. Uncaring Danny tore a strip of fabric from the tunic the guard wore under his leather armor.

“It’s dirty, love, but it will protect your eyes.” He said as he wrapped the fabric around Steve’s head, covering his eyes.

“ S’better.” Steve replied and they once more set off. The numerous narrow staircases up to the surface floor were extremely slow going. One of Steve’s ankles was, if not broken, extremely sprained and the stairs exacerbated it enough that he was hobbling on one foot by the time they reached the hall where Victor and Anton’s bodies lay cooling. Danny didn’t halt, instead, he led Steve past the bodies and out of the destroyed doorway.

Steve hissed as they stepped into the mid-afternoon sunshine and Danny momentarily worried that they should have remained inside until dark. However, Steve only hid his face for a few seconds before straightening up and turning his face to the sky. Danny could only watch, heart aching, as Steve took great lungfuls of air. It was far from the sweetest flavor, tinged as it was with destruction and smoke, but compared to the rancid scents of his cell Danny figured it was like heaven.

After a few moments Danny once more guided Steve, this time down the shallow steps of the tower, until he found some hay bales stacked in a shaded corner. Guiding Steve to sit Danny turned his mind to the next puzzle, how to leave. There was no one alive on the fortress grounds, the slaves had fled immediately during his attack and he assumed the guards and mercenaries left alive had fled once he broke into the tower. Sadly that meant that the horses and carts, those his fire hadn’t scared away/burnt, were also gone. Danny hadn’t expected Steve to be completely healthy, not after weeks, but he hadn’t expected his lovers’ level of abuse. He had intended to simply fly them away from this wretched place, but he wasn’t sure Steve would be able to hold on.

Danny was, of course, strong enough to carry Steve in his half form…But he had never been very adept at flying in that form. Short distances were alright but keeping the half-body balanced in flight for longer periods was difficult. With a passenger…it was next to impossible.

“Rope.” Steve’s voice brought Danny out of his thoughts.

“What do you mean?” Danny asked, turning to Steve, still sitting in the shadows and leaning against the rough stone of the tower.

“You’re trying to work out how to get us out of here. I’m too weak to cling to your back and you can’t, for some reason, carry me out in your half-form. The horses are either dead or gone, the carts destroyed or gone. But with no horses, there’s no way to pull them. So you need rope, bind me to you, somehow.” Steve told him, smiling slightly through cracked and dried lips. Danny immediately cupped Steve’s face and pressed a kiss to those damaged lips.

“Always thinking, love.” He said as he pulled away and went in search of supplies. After ransacking the stables and storehouses he found several lengths of rope as well as some cloaks and furs.

After much discussion, they came up with a plan. Steve, wrapped in cloaks and fur to protect him from the chill of the sky and the wind, would lay back to back with Danny. The ropes would be tied in loops large enough to fit around Danny’s dragon form and bind Steve to him.

“This is insane.” Danny said, laying on the ground with Steve laying against his back. It had taken quite a bit of wriggling and rolling to get Steve situated.

“It’ll be fine Danno.” Steve replied tiredly and Danny clamped down on any further protest. He needed to get his love somewhere safe to rest and heal.

Slowly Danny pushed up until he was on his hands and knees before letting the change wash over him. Unlike before, where he had shifted near-instantly into his half-form, he kept a tight rein on the magic and shifted slowly to keep Steve from slipping off. He fought hard to grow his body in such a way that the ropes would lay against the safest area of his body and that Steve would end up nestled between his wing joints. It was a far longer and more arduous process than what he usually went through but his patience was rewarded when the rope loops pulled tight around him.

Danny stood from his semi-seated/crouched position and gave himself a gentle shake and stretched his neck out of habit. Too long in his half form always felt…cramped. A sensation he didn’t get in his human form oddly enough.

“ _Are you okay?_ ” He asked, thought-speaking into Steve’s mind.

“Yes Danno, I’m alright, ropes feel secure but not too tight. Your wings sprouted around my waist. I can feel them but I’m not smashed, I should be fine.” Steve replied quietly and Danny gave a nod that Steve obviously didn’t see.

_“I’ll go as fast as I can without dislodging you. If you need anything just shout, I’ll hear you._ ” Danny told him, twisting his long neck around to observe Steve.

“I will.” Steve told him, voice weary.

Danny gave a snort and unfurled his wings. Taking off from a standing position was always annoying but Danny didn’t want to risk his usual run and leap. After a few wing-beats though he rose slowly, and clumsily, into the air. Catching himself on the wind he let himself be carried in a few lazy circles, making sure Steve was secure. Once satisfied he flapped again and went higher. Before turning for shelter though he once more looked down at the ruined tower and scorched grounds.

Hate and anger rose in his chest and fire crept up his throat. He had never dreamed his treasure would be so grievously injured. For a moment he wished he had been able to take his time with Victor and Anton. To dole out the same pain they had inflicted on Steve.

Such vengeance should have been beneath him, such things were the province of the lesser species; not Dragons such as him. But his morality was skewed where Steven was concerned. Knowing that the offenders were beyond his considerable reach Danny did the next best thing.

Filling his lungs he spat orb after orb of black fire at the tower and the grounds. The black fire would scar the place, a warning to any that came across it to stay away, to beware that it was an accursed place. It would also prevent any of his horde that might remain inside from being touched. In case he ever wished to reclaim it. As Danny turned his back on the wreckage and made for safety though he had no plans to ever return. He had more than enough gold and finery to satisfy himself.

Let what remained be a warning against mortal greed. 

***

Steve smiled a bit as heat seeped into his body from beneath him. The roar that vibrated from Danny’s great form and into his body, coupled with the heat and distant explosions, told him that Danny had launched more fire at the tower beneath them. It didn’t matter and Steve didn’t care. He hoped that the tower was nothing more than rubble

Instead, he focused on the warmth of the sun on his face, juxtaposed to the cold of the wind and upper air. It was stark but comforting after his incalculable time underground. As Danny picked up speed and the cool increased he was glad for the furs and cloaks Danny had insisted he be wrapped in. He was warm and secure, safe with his Danno, and before he even realized it the gentle heat from Danny’s body, the cool air moving over him, and the rocking caused by the beat of Danny’s wings had him falling into slumber.

###

Danny ran the soap fill rag over Steve’s battered body, washing away the dried blood, stale sweat, and miscellaneous caked filth. The steaming, underground river he stood in, and that Steve floated in buoyed by his magic, sprang from a hot spring that ran deep from the roots of the mountain. It flowed at a sedate pace and carried the dirt with it as he washed. Steve had fallen asleep while they traveled and with a touch of his power, Danny had pushed him into a deep, dreamless sleep so he could move and treat him without causing pain.

As he cleaned his lover Danny couldn’t help the hot, sorrowful tears that fell silently down his face. Free of the tattered clothing and filth the true extent of Steve’s torment was revealed. Lit as the cavern was by orbs of his own fire at the ceiling he couldn’t ignore it. Steven’s torso was one bruise after another, overlapping again and again in various states of healing. Littered among them were cuts, slashes, and superficial burns. His arms and legs sported few bruises but made up for it in methodical, even cuts; too many to count, and more circular burns.

His back, Danny knew, held more than a dozen interlaced whip wounds. The whipping obviously hadn’t given his tormenters the pleasure that they had sought as most of them were scabbed over, healing sluggishly. By inspecting his Light, Danny found four of Steve’s fingers were broken or dislocated. Along with several toes. Steve also had fractured ribs and another infection, one he had missed, beginning in his lungs. Steve’s face was mostly free of injury save for a few cuts and one eye was mostly swollen shut.

Danny’s heart had stuttered when he turned his eyes and hands to cleaning and inspecting Steven’s privates. Steve’s genitals were red and swollen, obviously having been on the receiving end of some sort of torment. Inspection of his aura in the area though, as well as around his rear, did not show evidence of the kind of corruption linked to rape or other forms of sexual assault, and for that, Danny was eternally grateful. Nothing could ever turn him from his lovers' side but he didn't want his dearest to have undergone such a horrifying ordeal in addition to everything else.

Once the last of the filth had been rinsed away Danny tossed the cloth to the stone shore of the carved river and turned his focus to healing his love. This was the main reason he had kept Steven asleep. He had been thorough but gentle in his cleaning to keep the discomfort minimal. But healing such damage…Danny was unsure of the level of pain Steve might have had to endure as he worked. The enchanted sleep should shield him from the worst of it.

Taking a deep breath Danny blew out healing fire, (bright sky blue flecked with gold), across Steve’s torso and watched as the bruises and burns faded and the cuts knit back together. Danny moved slowly and carefully, healing Steve’s hands and arms next; carefully knitting the bones of his abused fingers back together or fitting them back into their sockets. Steve’s legs and feet were less damaged and healed quickly. When he moved to Steve’s genitals he slowed and gentled the fire even more. The healing was slower but Danny feared causing pain enough in the most sensitive of areas that it would reach into the enchanted sleep. Danny breathed a sigh of relief as the fire faded, leaving the abused appendage limp and pale but fully healed. Directing the flames beneath the water Danny healed the whip wounds before finishing with Steve’s bruised and swollen face.

That done Danny pressed a gentle kiss to Steve’s slack lips and let a trickle of fire flow down into Steve’s lungs to burn away the burgeoning infection there. 

Once confident he had healed all physical traces of Steve’s ordeal Danny allowed himself to take a moment to catch his breath. His body ached dimly and his chest was tight. The healing fire had drawn on his own health and vitality to mend Steve, instead of drawing on Steve’s non-existent reserves, and he was feeling the effects of it now. In his whole dragon form, he wouldn’t have even noticed the draw on his strength but his half form had less magical connection.

Before moving Steve from the water to rest Danny once more checked his Aura for any trace, no matter how minute, of injury. The only sign was a gray cloud, shot through with black and flecked with red, around his head. Sadly this wasn’t a wound he could heal, a wound of the body, but instead of the mind. Of the spirit.

He would stand by his treasure as he healed through the mind trauma as well.

After taking a few moments to draw more strength into his half-form Danny scooped Steven into his arms and carried him from the hot spring-river. A brush of magic more left them both dry and Danny trod carefully down the stone corridor to the ancient bed-chamber he had prepared for them. He lay Steve carefully in the pile of furs, pillows, and fabrics before straightening up and pushing himself into his human form.

It was still, even after years of taking the form, strange to slip into his human form. Scale gave way as golden brown hair sprouted along his arms and legs, torso, and even on his back, shoulders, and buttocks. His genitals immerged from the protection of his vent and hung heavily, unprotected, between his legs. His claws and teeth dulled and shrunk away. It was a very different feeling from his dragon form or even his half-form. But he did enjoy it. He and his treasure could make love in this form and Danny loved the feel of Steven’s skin against his.

Once he was settled he lay down and gathered Steve into his arms before covering them with a soft blanket. He would need to go find them some food soon but for now, he just wanted to hold and be close to his love. Steve was thin from starvation and pale from his imprisonment but it didn’t matter, he would care for his treasure; help him to build his strength.

Safe and sound Danny closed his eyes and let himself fall into the first true sleep he had had in weeks.

###

Steve floated, weightlessly, in a warm, dark void. He was aware of his body. He could feel it, but he couldn’t quite _move_ it. He wasn’t paralyzed, exactly, but his movements were slow. As though he were moving through quicksand. After a few moments, he gave up and let the warm darkness wash over him. He had no worries or fears. He knew he was safe. His last memory was of soaring through the skies on Danny’s back. His love would not allow him to hurt. Whatever was happening was Daniels doing.

As he floated he became aware of his injuries. He could feel them but the pain was far away. More of an echo than true pain and so he paid it no mind. Instead, he turned his mind toward other things, things warm and bright. The cool of the lakes where he and Danny would swim and fish. The forests around their mountain home where they would hunt and camp and just… _be_. The air billowing around and against him as he rode Danny’s back, high in the sky.

While these thoughts danced through his mind Steve began to come aware of a new sensation. A sensation warm, slick, and _wet_ , moving over his body. Along with this new feeling came a renewed stinging in his wounds but still not enough to be called pain. As moments went on the stinging faded and with it went a…clogged, _congested_ feeling he had not been aware of until it was gone. A spark of joy ran through him as he realized he was being _washed_. Where ever he now rested, dark, formless, and warm, Danny was bathing his body. Distantly he wished he could feel the comfort of Danny’s touch more clearly but he still reveled in the realization of being clean at long last.

Eventually, the warm, slick feeling of Danny washing him faded away and he was once more left to float in the formless darkness. Before Steve could miss the feeling though a new sensation came. The distant echo-sensations of his wounds began to vanish completely, replaced by a cool, tingling feeling. Like the pins and needles of a limb laid on wrong. Along with the new feeling came the light, blue and gold, arcing like misty lightning all around him. The lightning illuminated the vastness of the void around him and for a moment Steve felt fear for the first time at the vast nothingness around him.

The panic was short-lived as he remembered that, no matter where he was or what was happening, he was with Danny. Danny would protect him. Holding that in mind he let the cool feeling continue to wash over him as the light struck and danced around him. He realized, as the feeling spread, that it must be Danny tending to his wounds. He knew the dragon’s fire had many abilities but he didn’t know if healing was one of them. He made a mental note to ask Danny about that. His mind was hazy but he hoped that he would remember it.

Panic returned briefly when he felt the cool energy encapsulate his cock and balls. He knew his organs were swollen and red. Some of his torturers, before Victor, had taken over, had enjoyed kicking and squeezing him there. A few of them had intimated that they would like to take their torture into the realm of sexual assault, he was thankful that they never had the chance.

Steve hated that he felt grateful that Victor had taken over before the guards had made good on their threats. Pushing those thoughts away Steve focused on the sensation of his wound’s being healed and the light dancing around him.

~~~

Without opening his eyes Steve immediately knew that he was truly awake and not still in the nether-space as before. He could feel the weight of his body, the warmth of the furs over him, the smell of wood and stone. He opened his eyes slowly to find the room dimly lit with tiny orbs of fire near the stone ceiling.

He sat up carefully, mindful of his wounds, but as the furs fell around his waist he realized he had none. Slowly memories of the nether-space filtered back in and he remembered the feeling of his wounds healing. Despite having no injuries Steve was weak from hunger and trauma and was about to lay back down when the little orbs above him flared more brightly and the ancient wooden door creaked open to reveal Danny. Danny was in his human form, naked as a newborn save for a leather satchel slung across his chest.

“You’re awake.” Danny spoke with a smile, crossing the room quickly to collapse on the large bed with him.

“I am…How long have I been asleep?” Steve asked, letting Danny maneuver them until he was sitting back against the stone wall and Danny at his side.

“Half a day, give or take. You fell asleep on our way here and I…I used a bit of my magic to keep you asleep. I bathed you, and healed your wounds.” Danny blushed as he spoke and Steve could hear the note of worry in his voice.

“I don’t think my dislike of you using magic on me without my consent goes that far, love.” Steve replied and Danny smiled, obviously relieved.

“I’m glad,” Danny replied before digging into the satchel he had laid aside, “Here, eat. It’s just fruit for now. The forest outside doesn’t seem to have much in the way of game and the storehouses here are long empty of anything edible.”

Steve accepted the wild berries, apples, and other assorted forage readily. He ate slowly, not sure how long it had been since his last meal and not wanting to make himself sick.

“Where is here exactly? This isn’t part of our home.” Steve asked, nodding to the room. It was spacious and was obviously carved from the mountain itself. But the bed they rested on was obviously old and the tapestries and décor that adorned the walls had long ago decayed.

“This is part of an old dwarven stronghold. Abandoned long ago when the humans drove the mountain folk to the south. It’s hidden deep within the mountains a few miles from the accursed place you were held. I found it while I was searching for you. I…I did not expect you to be so injured but still thought this would be a good place to rest after I found you.” Danny replied, anger coloring his voice right from the off. There was no love lost between dragons and dwarves but both races held their territories close. Knowing the dwarves had been forced from their home was an insult to that instinct.

“How…how long have I been gone? How did you find me?” Steve asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

Danny reached back into the satchel and pulled out a leather water skin and passed it to him, bidding him drink before he spoke.

“You’ve been gone a few days more than a fortnight. I…I would have found you sooner but the men who took you laid traps in their wake. I did not sense them until it was too late. They brought down parts of the lair on top of me. They likely thought to kill me, but it only trapped and angered me. It took me several days just to dig out, to keep from bringing down the whole mountain, but at last, I managed it and came looking for you once I realized they had stolen you from me.” Danny replied, heat in his voice.

Steve barely noticed it. More than a _fortnight_. There had been no way for him to keep time while captive but it had felt so much _longer_. At times it had felt almost _endless_. A chaotic cycle of beating, starvation, and isolation. Played out over and over and over again.

“Steve, _Steven_.” Danny’s voice and a warm hand on his cheek pulled Steve from dark recollections.

“Sorry I…” Steve cut off, not sure what to say.

Danny Just gave him a warm, open look, and moved until he was sitting next to him against the wall. Danny reached out and Steve let himself be drawn and maneuvered until he was resting between Danny’s legs, leaned back against his hairy chest.

“Don’t be sorry, love,” Danny told him, hands sweeping over his chest soothingly, “What happened was horrible. But it’s over now and I will help you recover. However, you need me to.”

Steve was too touched to respond. Even after many years together just the fact that Danny, a magical, centurion being, loved _him_. Instead of speaking Steve linked his fingers with Danny’s roving ones and pulled them to rest on his chest.

“Can…can the damage at the lair be repaired?” Steve asked after a while in silence. With his belly tentatively full sleep was encroaching and he didn’t want to fall out yet.

“Perhaps, with fire and magic. I didn’t check the total damage. I went looking for you as soon as I was free then went searching when I could not find you.” Danny replied quietly into his hair.

“How did you find me? Our trail must have been cold by the time you freed yourself.” Steve asked, eyes drifting closed as the warmth of Danny’s body leached into his own.

“The men were careless, they left behind scraps of fabric in our lair, and did not cover their trails as they fled. At first, I followed on their scraps as they traveled and camped. Some had magic that I could track as well. And then, when I was close enough, I followed our heart link.” Danny all but whispered.

“Heart link, was’tat?” Steve was rapidly losing the battle to sleep but he wanted to know.

Instead of answering Danny maneuvered him until they were laying down, Danny pressed in a hot line against his back with his arms wrapped around him.

“When dragons mate they forge a heart link. We take one mate in a lifetime and our heart link binds us. Let’s us feel and find each other. You’re not a dragon, you don’t feel it, but I do. When we are near I feel you in my chest. It’s how I knew you were gone.” Danny’s words washed over him like a warm caress as he pulled him flush.

“Did feel you Danno, felt fire in my heart at the tower. Didn’t know it was you but it felt…safe.” The words fell from his lips as Steve succumbed to sleep.

~~~

Danny lay, dumbfounded, with Steve in his arms. Steve had felt him? It shouldn’t have been possible. Humans could not feel the heart link….But then…what did he know for sure? He only knew old stories, legends, and tales passed down in clan history. Danny knew of no other dragon that had taken a human lover, much less a mate.

Steve rolled over in his sleep and nuzzled into the thick hair on his chest and Danny decided, for the moment, to push it away. For now, it was time to care for his love, his treasure. When Steve was strong they would return home and rebuild. Then he could question the mystery of the link.

Danny pressed a kiss to the crown of Steve’s head before nuzzling into the dark locks and joining his mate in sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> There will likely be more in this universe. I want to write some on Steve's recovery as well as tell the story of how and he and Danny met.  
> Find me on tumblr!  
> https://mcdannoangelwolf.tumblr.com


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